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    Home » Basics & How to make

    Published: Sep 11, 2016 · Modified: Jan 25, 2022 by Usha Rao

    Berbere Spice Mix

    Berbere spice mix is a seasoning used extensively in African nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea. It is a key ingredient in these cuisines and is used in almost all the recipes to flavor the food.

    Bowl of berbere spice mix.

    The key ingredients of the spice mix are chili pepper, ginger, garlic, onion, fenugreek, allspice and few more spices. As with any recipe, there are many versions online, however above mentioned are a must.

    Bowl of Ethiopian spice blend.

    I followed the recipe from cooking channel and adjusted a few ingredients or suit my palate. I used less nutmeg and allspice, and have listed the actually measures in the recipe along with the quantity I used. Except the chili peppers (New Mexican chili powder, Cayenne and paprika), most of the ingredients are easily available in any well stocked Indian pantry.

    Bowl of Ethiopian spice mix.

    Source: Cooking Channel

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tbsp. New Mexico Chili Powder
    • 2 tbsp. Paprika
    • 1 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
    • 1 tsp. Ginger Powder
    • 1 tsp. Salt
    • ¼ tsp. Garlic Powder
    • ¼ tsp. Onion Powder
    • ¼ tsp. Nutmeg Powder (I used a dash, 1/16 tsp)
    • 1 tsp. Black Cardamom Seeds (I used cardamom seeds from Indian store)
    • 1 tsp. Coriander Seeds
    • 1 tsp. Fenugreek Seeds
    • ½ tsp. Whole Spice (I used 1/16 tsp)
    • 2 Cloves
    • ¼” - ½” cinnamon Stick

    Preparation:

    • Take first 8 ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
    • Take cardamom seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, cloves and cinnamon in a pan and dry roast it on medium to low flame until seeds are aromatic and roasted.
    • Cool the spices and ground to fine powder.
    • Add the mixture of first eight ingredients to spice blender and blend it along with dry roasted spice mix powder. Or combine dry roasted spice mix powder with other spice powders and mix to combine.
    • Store in an airtight container.

    Related Recipes

    • Berbere Spiced Vegetable Soup and Cheese Sandwich
    • Doro Wat ~ Ethiopian Chicken Stew #FoodOfTheWorld
    • Mutton Shorva
    • Red Bell Pepper Tomato Chutney
    • Spicy Oven Roasted Chickpeas

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    1. Regina Mellissa Lou Ann Pitts says

      November 30, 2022 at 2:51 am

      If i leave out the cloves due to allergy. Will that ruin the taste?

      Reply
      • Usha Rao says

        December 01, 2022 at 9:15 pm

        I think it should be ok. You can also try substituting cloves with little bit of nutmeg or cardamom.

        Reply
    2. Srivalli Jetti says

      October 14, 2016 at 2:36 am

      Wow..the picture looks amazing and the spice powder so interesting usha..

      Reply
    3. Vaishali Sabnani says

      September 18, 2016 at 5:07 am

      That is one flavorsome spice mix..beautiful color too.

      Reply

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